Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus
St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori, ora pro nobis!
Padre Pio: Secrets of a Soul
The reputation of St. Padre Pio is shrouded with extraordinary events. When his life is discussed, what often comes up in conversation is his stigmata (mystically receiving the wounds of Christ in his flesh), his gift of bi-location (being at two places at once) and the gift of reading souls in the confessional (knowing what sins were committed before the penitent confessed them). But what sometimes does not get the attention it deserves is that intense interior darkness he would experience; a kind of darkness that Blessed Mother Theresa complained of several decades ago.
By reading his letters to his spiritual director, one gets the impression that for every mystical ecstasy of rapturous joy he would experience, the Lord would have to” even things out” for him by allowing St. Pio to get attacked by demons or to experience incredible feelings of abandonment. Curiously, just about every canonized has, at some point, felt the inner pangs of being abandoned by the Lord. It is as if the Lord wanted these Saints to have some experience of what damned souls experience in hell. And even more important, it is through these bitter experiences that the Saints shared in Christ’s death. As such, their sufferings and sacrifices became a means of saving souls. With Christ, they took on God’s severity of justice so that sinners could be beneficiaries of His Mercy.
It is quite common that God puts his closest friends on a rollercoaster of wild extremes; that of tasting the joys of paradise and feeling the despair of hell. On precursor to St. Pio was St. Paul. In his Second Letter to the Corinthians, he said he was blessed to have had received from the Lord an “abundance of the revelations.” Yet, these great mystical experiences would exact from him a depth of suffering that would pierce his soul. In fact, he said, “Therefore, that I might not become too elated, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, an angel of Satan, to beat me, to keep me from being too elated.”
That same spiritual warfare and testing had visited St. Padre Pio. In a letter on November 8, 1916, he complained to his spiritual director by saying, “Blasphemous thoughts continuously run through my mind; and still more promptings, infidelity, and irreligiousness. “ Several months earlier, he felt as though the Lord had abandoned him to darkness; a darkness devoid of peace. On March 8, 1916, he wrote the following: “Peace has been fully banished from my heart. I have become completely blind. I find myself enveloped in a profound darkness and I can never, no matter how I struggle, find the light.”
This kind of interior pain that St. Pio experienced can be so intense at times, death is often a welcomed event. Again, he wrote, “I long for death to relieve me of my afflictions. May the Lord God grant me this soon, because I can endure no longer.” Perhaps this is why the good padre would frequently quote from the book of Job, the Psalms and the Song of Songs the most from the Old Testament. These inspired writings truly capture how a love and longing for God is purified by suffering. And the greatest suffering for a Saint is to feel his absence.
Gianluigi pasquale, editor of Secrets of a Soul, is a book that gives us the letters of St. Padre Pio to his spiritual directors. In it he describes just how the interior trials were for the Saint from Pietrelcina, Italy:
“What is most bewildering during this period is that the soul cannot understand God’s action in it,and, therefore, it is overcome with great anguish and suffering. The very thought oppresses the soul to the point that only God’s special grace is prevented from going astray…God has grown distant and, in doing so, left a tremendous void, but God does not allow himself to be found.”
It would seem that Christ gives to souls such as these a taste of the suffering he himself endured for the world. Arguably, Divine justice is introduced into the lives of these chosen souls- but never apart from Christ –so that Divine Mercy could be introduced into the lives of those who are much less deserving. As St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, death is at work in us, but life in you.
St. Padre Pio, like St. Paul the Apostle, knew that a price needed to be paid for sinners. Quite often, this meant experiencing great anguish of soul. This is God’s way of testing the love and fidelity of his friends. And Saint Pio did precisely that when he used to say regarding Jesus, “I kiss the hands that smite me.” But, with that said, there always came a time when the Lord would lift up St. Pio above the fog of uncertainty in order to better understand his ways.
One more thing: For a Christian who sincerely loves the Lord and wants to do his will- as we have said -there is no greater suffering than when interior darkness visits that soul or it is afflicted with the feeling of being abandoned by God. But after having survived the trial, that soul will count exterior trials as child’s play. In other words, the vexations and inconveniences that come from human beings are as nothing compared to feeling distant from God. St. Padre Pio knew more than most, that when God is with you, everything seems easy. But when it feels as though he backing off- and no longer with us -even the lightest of things we try to lift feels heavy.
The Distraction of That One Sin
We all have that one sin. That one sin that we feel drags us down, oppresses us, and particularly embarrasses us. It is the one sin that we find ourselves confessing time and time again, much to our shame. Often times we may believe that this sin and this sin alone stands between us and holiness. "If I could just get past this one sin, then I would truly be saintly," we tell ourselves. What the sin is exactly does not matter; it differs from person to person. For some it may be masturbation; for others, screaming at the children or talking down to the wife. Maybe it is using bad language at work or some similar accommodation with the mores of the world. Whatever the sin is, we have all had the experience. That one sin.
I myself had (or believed I had) "that one sin" for many years. No matter how well other things were going in my life, I always returned to this one sin, as a dog to vomit. It was profoundly embarrassing to have to keep coming back to confession every month and confessing the same thing; of course, the shame I felt was entirely in my head, a coming to terms with my own weakness rather than any condemnation laid upon me by the priest. This sin somehow became central in my life, in such a manner that I came to view it as the fundamental roadblock between myself and holiness, so that all the focus of my thoughts became on how bad this sin was and how hindered I was so long as I kept succumbing to it. Yet despite these observations, things did not get better. I seemed as stuck in the rut as ever.
read more:http://www.unamsanctamcatholicam.com/spirituality/82-spirtuality/381-that-one-sin.html
Catholic official: Vatican removed Peru bishop amid allegations he sexually abused children
LIMA, Peru — Pope Francis has removed a Roman Catholic bishop in Peru who an influential former prelate says is suspected of sexually abusing minors.
Gabino Miranda, 53, was removed as part of the new pope’s “zero tolerance” policy against abuse, the Rev. Luis Bambaren, the retired former Peruvian bishops’ conference chief, told reporters on Friday.Miranda is only the second bishop known to have been removed in recent times by the Vatican over sex abuse allegations.
The Rev. Percy Quispe, spokesman for the archdiocese of Ayacucho where Miranda was assigned, confirmed his removal to The Associated Press on Saturday.He said Miranda departed in July but did not specify the reason.
Miranda had since 2007 led the youth ministry of Peru’s bishops’ commission. He was a close associate of the powerful Cardinal Juan Cipriani of Lima, sharing membership in the conservative Opus Dei organization.
The regional prosecutor’s office said in a statement Friday that an investigation had been opened into Miranda but did not specify the subject.
Cipriani expressed displeasure with Bambaren on Saturday in a radio interview from the Vatican, where he was to meet with the pope on Monday. “I don’t think it’s in good taste for a retired bishop to have made an accusation that is somewhat exaggerated or at the very least strong.”
Bambaren, an 85-year-old Jesuit, did not return AP phone calls seeking comment and Quispe said the archbishop of Ayacucho, Miranda’s former superior, was traveling abroad and could not be reached.
The Vatican also did not respond to AP requests for comment on the case.
Opus Dei issued a statement on Friday saying that Miranda “denied any crime having to do with minors” but said it had very little information about his situation. Attempts to reach Opus Dei officials to try to determine Miranda’s whereabouts were unsuccessful.
Miranda had spent his career in Peru’s Quechua-speaking southern Andes.
Earlier this month, the Vatican confirmed that its ambassador to the Dominican Republic, Jozef Wesolowski, had been recalled and removed from his job amid a Vatican and Dominican investigation into allegations of abuse.
For decades, bishops have been virtually untouchable when it comes to Vatican discipline as they function very much as kings in their own diocesan fiefdoms.
The most prominent bishop to have been removed for alleged abuse was the archbishop of Vienna, Hans Hermann Groer, two decades ago.
Pope seeks easing of rigid Catholic doctrine
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has urged a break with the Catholic Church's harsh "obsession" with divorce, gays, contraception and abortion, in an interview signalling a dramatic shift in the Vatican's tone.
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has urged a break with the Catholic Church's harsh "obsession" with divorce, gays, contraception and abortion, in an interview signalling a dramatic shift in the Vatican's tone.
The Argentine pope has brought a series of fresh perspectives to the notoriously rigid Church since his election in March, and his latest remarks on some of its key doctrines sent shock waves around the world.
"Revolutionary words", remarked Italy's biggest newspaper Corriere della Sera on Friday, while the International Herald Tribune's front page headline read: "Bluntly, Pope pushes shift in church."
In the 30-page interview published in Jesuit journals on Thursday, the pope urged "mercy" and understanding for those who often feel most discriminated against by the Church.
"We cannot insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptive methods. This is not possible. I have not spoken much about these things, and I was reprimanded for that," Francis said.
The pope said that when these issues were discussed, they had to be put in context.
"The dogmatic and moral teachings of the Church are not all equivalent. The Church's pastoral ministry cannot be obsessed with the transmission of a disjointed multitude of doctrines to be imposed insistently.
"We have to find a new balance. Otherwise even the moral edifice of the Church is likely to fall like a house of cards, losing the freshness and fragrance of the Gospel."
Francis -- who has shown a strong reformist drive in his first few months in office -- said the Church needed more than anything to be able to "heal wounds".
On homosexuality he said the Church "does not want to" condemn gays, and that "it is not possible to interfere spiritually in the life of a person".
The 76-year-old pope stressed that the Church's official position had not changed, but said that it should "always keep in mind the individual".
The interview was published after the pope on Monday called for "another way" of treating divorcees who remarry -- a thorny issue since Catholics who wed a second time are currently not allowed to receive Holy Communion at mass.
In Thursday's interview, he also said the Church should be more merciful and welcoming towards women who had undergone abortions.
The confessional "is not a torture chamber", added the pope, saying priests should be neither too rigid nor too lax in their approach to the sacrament.
The remarks show a marked shift from his predecessors John Paul II and Benedict XVI hard-line defense of the Church's strict doctrines.
"Francis distinguishes between the sin and the sinner. He says that homosexuals are not inferior or different to others, the choice of how to live one's homosexuality being one of the mysteries of man," read an editorial by historian Lucetta Scaraffia in the Vatican daily Osservatore Romano.
"His Christianity is not a rigid puritanism without heart," she wrote in another Italian daily.
Marco Politi, biographer of Benedict XVI noted "a break" with the former pope's way of thinking.
"Francis says: Church doctrine is what it is. It is useless to keep repeating the same things. What is important is to enter people's personal lives."
Swiss Catholic priest and theologian Hans Kueng wrote in the daily La Repubblica that he hoped the pope would seek concrete reforms, "permitting sacrament for the divorced who have remarried, the abolition of celibacy for priests, and female priesthood.
It remains to be seen whether Francis' views will translate to deeper change however.
Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio, president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, on Friday explained that the Church distinguished between homosexuality "which is something negative" and the homosexual person "who has all our affection".
And while he has called for understanding for the women who undergo abortion, Francis strongly condemned the act in a visit to gynecologists on Friday.
"Every child not born, but condemned to abortion, possesses the face of the Lord who, before even being born and then after his birth, experienced rejection by the world."
Francis' papacy -- he is the first Jesuit pope and the first from South America -- has marked a series of breaks with Vatican tradition.
The pope has become known for his humility and concern for the poor, and has reached out to non-believers and those in other religions. He regularly picks up the phone to call ordinary people who write
Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost Thy sins are forgiven thee. (Mt. 9.2)
A poor paralytic is presented to Our Lord; he probably had himself brought there to ask for bodily health, but in the presence of Jesus, he realizes that he is a sinner and remains confused and humiliated before Our Lord. Jesus had already read his heart, and seeing his faith and humility, He does not even wait for him to speak, but suddenly says to him with infinite kindness: Be of good heart, son, thy sins are forgiven thee (today’s Holy Gospel, Mt. 9.1-8). The first and the greatest miracle has taken place: the man is no longer a slave of Satan; he is now a child of God. Jesus, Who came to save souls, rightfully healed the soul before the body. For this purpose, the Son of God appeared that He might destroy the works of the devil (1 Jn. 3.8).
This miracle, however, does not please the Scribes who, not believing in the divinity of Jesus, begin immediately in the secret of their hearts to accuse Him of blasphemy (for who could forgive sins but God alone!). But the Master, Who had read the soul of the paralytic, also reads theirs. Why do you think evil in your hearts? If Jesus had seen there even a little humility and faith, He would have been as ready to heal them as He was to heal the heart of the paralytic; but unfortunately, He found nothing but pride and obstinacy. However, He wishes to use every means to soften them, so He gives them the strongest proof of His divinity. But that you may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, then he said to the man sick of the palsy, Arise, take up thy bed, and go into thy house. And he arose and went into his house. The word of Jesus effected immediately what it expressed. The words of God alone could have such power. But the Scribes will not admit that they are defeated: when the heart is proud and obstinate, not even factual evidence is capable of moving it.
Let us never say our faith is weak because we do not see or touch with our hand the truth which is proposed for our belief; let us rather admit that it is weak because our heart is not sufficiently docile to grace, nor entirely free from pride. If we want to have strong faith, let us be as humble and simple as children; if we wish to share in the grace of sanctification which was given to the paralytic, let us offer ourselves to Our Lord with contrite, humble hearts, thoroughly convinced that we need His help and forgiveness.
Pope Francis: ‘It Is Not Possible to Interfere Spiritually’ in Lives of Gay People
Is it possible this pope is a Heretic??
HERETICS RIGHT TO THE END
Bishops praise CRS for Catholic identity training, screening
.- Following criticism of Catholic Relief Services, the U.S. bishops have reaffirmed their support for the agency, applauding its “very strong training program” and “careful” vetting process for partnerships with other groups.
“Through CRS, the Catholic Church in the United States helps the poorest of the poor around the world in response to the call of the Gospel, based on the teachings of the Church and following the example of our Holy Father. Its service around the world makes us all proud,” the administrative committee of the U.S. bishops’ conference said Sept. 11.
The relief agency works in 91 countries and has nearly 5,000 staff, many of whom are local workers who are not Catholic.The U.S. bishops noted that the agency trains all staff about Catholic teaching. In 2012 Catholic Relief Services implemented an agency-wide tutorial, “Protecting Life,” which informs staff about Catholic teaching on “the sanctity of life, contraception and abortion.” The training explains agency requirements that staff “uphold this teaching in their work,” the bishops said.
They also observed that the relief agency employs a vetting process to ensure that it does not violate Church teaching when cooperating with other groups or governments. Such partnerships are undertaken in order to accomplish joint goals, such as helping to provide food and clean water, disaster aid, education, anti-malaria campaigns and other poverty assistance initiatives.
“As CRS’ work necessitates collaboration with a broad network of partners in complex environments with a regularly changing focus, this system is constantly reviewed and updated,” the bishops said. “The agency welcomes questions and concerns offered in a spirit of Christian charity.
READ MORE: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/bishops-praise-crs-for-catholic-identity-training-screening/
http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/international-pro-life-group-calls-for-u.s.-bishops-to-dissolve-catholic-relief services
Divorced Catholics, gay Christians, atheists in heaven: the mystery of what Pope Francis really believes
Pope Francis seems to delight in saying controversial things that hint at (but don't announce) a change in an unpopular aspect of Catholic teaching. This thrills the liberal media and forces conservative Catholics to rush out "explanations" that deny that Francis has said anything new. Well, now he's done it again.
Pope Francis on Monday called for "another way" of treating divorcees who remarry – a thorny issue since Catholics who wed a second time are currently not allowed to receive Holy Communion at mass.
Catholic faithful should "feel at home" in parishes and those who have remarried should be treated with "justice", the pope was quoted as saying by Romasette, the local newspaper for the diocese of Rome.
"Our duty is to find another way in justice," he said. Meaning…? One new way of treating divorced and remarried Catholics would be to allow them to receive Holy Communion, as happens unofficially in many parishes, but the Pope doesn't say that such a gesture is on the cards.
Likewise, on his journey back from Brazil,Francis told journalists: “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge? We shouldn’t marginalise people for this. They must be integrated into society.”
That indicates that the Pope accepts the reality of celibate gay priests. Does it also mean that celibate gay men can be ordained, as in theory they cannot at the moment? We don't know. nd for lay people, what sort of "integration" did Francis have in mind?
Also, atheists in heaven. The Pope said in May that they could be let in if they'd followed their consciences, and added later that God would "forgive" their unbelief. This is stretching Catholic doctrine to its absolute limit and perhaps a bit beyond. A Vatican spokesman promptly rowed back, insisting that people who do not believe in God "cannot be saved". Which wasn't what the Pope had said.
Gays, divorcees and atheists are understandably confused about these messages from the See of Peter; so are devout heterosexual Catholics. Me, too. Pope Francis seems to be indicating a direction of travel without saying how far – if at all – the Catholic Church is prepared to move. Strange times.
Sister Teresa Forcades: Europe's most radical nun
Heretic!!
St Benet has got to be among the most beautiful and peaceful anywhere. To get there you must take a breath-taking drive up the sacred mountain of Montserrat.
Sister Teresa Forcades, the unlikely star of local television chat shows, Twitter and Facebook, had been worryingly hard to nail down. So great is the demand for her time and blessing that her secretary's email here at the monastery always returns an automatic reply that the inbox is full.
Sister Teresa seems always to be in at least two places at once. She is bright-eyed, confident, almost breezy. Her disarmingly perfect English - mastered during a few years at Harvard University - feels somehow out of place in the humble cloisters of this serene spot.
On the church
Sister Teresa believes the Roman Catholic church should be thoroughly modernized for the 21st Century. She thinks women priests should be welcomed, and that gay people should be allowed to serve openly in the church. Pope Francis should be judged, she thinks, on how the Women Religious - which includes the majority of nuns in the United States - are treated by the Vatican.
Nancy Pelosi Dings Putin
Nancy Pelosi Dings Putin: I Hope His Argument For Equality Applies To 'Gays And Lesbians In Russia'
WASHINGTON -- House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Thursday that she thought it was "great" that Russian President Vladimir Putin included a line in his controversial New York Times op-ed about all people being created equal under God.
But she reminded him he needs to practice what he preaches.
"I hope it applies to gays and lesbians in Russia as well," Pelosi said during a Capitol Hill press conference.
The California Democrat later tweeted out the same message:Russia has faced international criticism for enacting a law that bans the distribution of "propaganda" promoting LGBT rights. Under the statute, it is a criminal act to hold a public demonstration or even speak in favor of gay rights, or to suggest that same-sex relationships are equal to heterosexual relationships.
The issue has been in the spotlight recently as Russia prepares to host the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. The International Olympic Committee has said the law won't apply to athletes or spectators at the games.
President Barack Obama met with Russian gay rights activists earlier this month during his trip to the country for the G-20 summit. During the hourlong meeting, Obama said their work was "critically important" to an open society and that he was "very proud" of their efforts.
Asked for an overall response to Putin's op-ed, and whether she thought it was a shot at Obama's handling of the situation in Syria, Pelosi shrugged.
"It is what it is," she said. "Vladimir Putin is not in a strong constitutional democracy where people have their say, so he comes here and has his say."
She added, "But it has to have some fidelity to fact."
Bombing Syria Would be a "Ghastly" Mistake
Sister Mary Rose: Bombing Syria would be a “ghastly” mistake
Sister Mary Rose Reddy
“Let him is without sin among you be the first to cast a stone.”
For the United States to use military force in Syria in response to the Syrian government’s alleged poisoning of thousands of people would be a “ghastly” mistake. What possible good does it do to add violence to violence? Let me illustrate what I mean. In 1945 the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing more than 150,000 innocent people. Between the years of 1961 and 1971 the United States sprayed Vietnam with Agent Orange; this poison caused the deaths of many thousands of people, caused multitudes of birth defects and other health problems, caused deforestation of large areas in Vietnam, caused extinction of animal species, and continues to negatively impact the health of both the Vietnamese and Vietnam Veterans to this day. In 1973 the United States Supreme Court legalized abortion. Since this Roe v. Wade decision more than 55 million people, equaling approximately 17.5 percent of the current population of the United States, have died by their mothers’ “choice.”
What would be our reaction if, in response to these glaring U.S. atrocities, another country such as France or Germany decided to bomb us?
Certainly there must be some diplomatic or political action which the countries of the world can employ against the Syrian atrocities rather than bombing them. Violence does not stop violence; only love does. “Let him is without sin among you be the first to cast a stone.”
Certainly there must be some diplomatic or political action which the countries of the world can employ against the Syrian atrocities rather than bombing them. Violence does not stop violence; only love does. “Let him is without sin among you be the first to cast a stone.”
Sincerely,
Sister Mary Rose Reddy, DMML
http://www.courageouspriest.com/sister-mary-rose-bombing-syria-ghastly-mistake
VATICAN WILLING TO HAND OVER ACCUSED
http://vassallomalta.wordpress.com/2013/09/13/vatican-willing-to-hand-over-accused-nuncio-to-civil-authorities/
Vatican looks into German 'luxury bishop' charges
(Reuters) - The Vatican launched a rare review of a German Catholic diocese on Monday following accusations its bishop spent lavishly on a new residence, putting him out of step with the new "church of the poor" promoted by Pope Francis.
The inquiry is officially called a "fraternal visit" to Limburg diocese by Cardinal Giovanni Lajolo, the former Vatican nuncio (ambassador) in Berlin, and Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst said in a statement he was looking forward to it.
Limburg diocese, which includes Germany's financial capital Frankfurt, has been in turmoil for months as reports of high cost overruns put pressure on Tebartz-van Elst, 53.
A growing number of critics had already accused him of staging pompous church services and communicating poorly.
The visit marks a new willingness by the Vatican to get involved quickly when a bishop's management is under fire.
Mismanagement by bishops and the Vatican's slow response were at the root of the sexual abuse scandals rocking the Roman Catholic Church over the past decade. There are no sexual abuse allegations in the Limburg controversy.
The diocese published a letter to Tebartz-van Elst from Marc Ouellet, the Vatican cardinal in charge of bishops, saying the controversy "strains the unity of the bishop and his people" and "threatens the integrity of your office and your person."
Ouellet noted the bishop had requested an "apostolic visitation," an inquiry often imposed by Rome after a scandal, but said the Vatican had full trust in his management and would instead send Lajolo on a less official "fraternal visit."
Read More-http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/09/us-germany-bishop-probe-idUSBRE9880OR20130909
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Germany Welcomes Moscow's and Syria Plan
http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2013_09_10/UK-Germany-welcome-Moscows-Syria-plan-9508/
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